It's the evening of Dec. 15, 1967, when Ruth Fout is wrapping up her work day at a Point Pleasant insurance
agency.
Little did she know that one of the worst
disasters in West Virginia history was unfolding only a block away from the her
downtown office.
"I remember the evening well," said Fout,
now an administrative assistant at the Point Pleasant River Museum. "We were
putting on our coats as we were getting ready to leave. We heard a noise, but
didn't know what it was. The lights went off."
The chilling details were provided
minutes later by the husband of a co-worker.
"He said, ‘The bridge fell,'" recalled
Fout.
Only moments earlier, he had crossed the
span connecting Point Pleasant with Gallipolis, Ohio. Sensing that something was wrong, he had watched helplessly as the
bridge, crowded with rush hour holiday traffic, crashed into the cold waters of
the Ohio River.
"It affected everyone, whether they had a
loved one, a friend or someone that they knew close that was on it," she said.
"I had two neighbors (at the time) who lost their lives. There are five people
who live close to me now who lost a parent on the bridge. It was a very tragic
time for people."
For those reasons - the 46 lives lost - Fout
said that she believes it's important for Point Pleasant to remember. The
museum will host the "45th Remembrance of the Collapse of the Silver Bridge" on
the anniversary of the disaster at 2 p.m. Dec. 15.
"We're trying to keep the history of the
Silver Bridge alive for future generations and also to remember those who lost
their lives in that tragic event," Fout said. "We have students who come into
the museum say that they had a grandparent who lost their life on the bridge
and we've had a lot of people who were involved come back. They feel a comfort
in coming here."
Speakers will include Pastor Roger
Bonecutter, who operated a towboat on the river, and Rudy O'Dell, a retired
state trooper who was the first law enforcement officer to arrive on the scene.
Co-authors of the book "The Silver
Bridge Disaster of 1967" will be attending. It was written by Stephan
Bullard and Bridget Gromek along with co-authors Martha and Ruth Fout.
Families of the victims are encouraged to
attend and participate in a candle lighting ceremony.
Investigators ruled the 1928 span collapsed due to a small
defect in a single eyebar of a suspension chain. Analysis showed that the
bridge was carrying much heavier loads than it had originally been designed for
and was poorly maintained.
The replacement Silver Memorial Bridge was completed in
1969 and dedicated on the second anniversary of the disaster.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WOWK. All Rights Reserved.
